As the world watched the Dow plunge over 600 points today, most of the blame has centered on President Obama. This blame is coming from all sides of the political spectrum and, in particular, the left, who think that he needs to lead more strongly. The right is currently skipping with glee as their central mission (Obama must fail), in their eyes, is working. Neither of these perceptions are accurate reflect reality, of course.
To a certain degree, some people will always blame the president. Those that don't like him anyway didn't give him credit when the Dow surged over the time of his presidency so why would they now? It's ridiculously predictable that they will now blame him when it falls. He loses with these folks no matter what he does. The people that do like him seemingly want him to lead in a king like fashion and begin executing jobs plans as well as ordering a single branch overhaul of the economy.
Someone needs to throw some cold water on these folks and make them realize that the president is not Hu Jintao. People from the left and the right complain that he doesn't "have a plan." It's not his fucking job to have a plan. That's the job of Congress. The people on the right are doing it because it helps them in their mission to see him fail. The people on the left are doing it because they want more government control over our country. Again, neither can happen. Again, Barack Obama is not Hu Jintao.
We don't live in a centrally planned economy, folks. Oddly, both sides think we do.
This might be a good time to decimate the lie that has been floating around the right wing blogsphere that President Obama hasn't delivered a budget for the last two years. He has and the evidence for it is right here. Let me repeat this again for those that have trouble hearing. President Obama has delivered a budget every fiscal year since he has been in office.
The problem with the budget is the same problem with our economy and it's a big reason why the stock market is falling off a cliff right now: Congress. In 2010, Congress failed to adopt a budget resolution because of political cowardice. That's on the Democrats. in 2011, Congress failed to adopt a budget resolution for 2012 because of the true believers running the House presently. That's on the Republicans.
So, Congress is a big part of the fucking problem, folks and, by extension, that means us. We all love our Representative but hate everyone else. Current approval ratings of Congress are in the teens but nothing will change. We can't vote for other districts. We can only work within our own which means Tip O'Neill was right: All politics are local. Until we stop loving our guy no matter what (AKA completely lacking in motivation to change), we should expect the same results.
Honestly, though, much of our economy is beyond the control of the government so Congress isn't the only reason why we are at fault. It is a free market, after all. A big part of our economy (nearly two thirds) is consumer confidence and that's very low at present. Yet we still can't offer this as a substantive reason for why things are all balls right now. So why do we blame the government?
Because we're lazy and we worship rich people. Nothing is ever our fault so why should we have to work to fix things? And being critical of the wealthy these days is tantamount to asking a black guy why he likes to hang out on the porch all day eating fried chicken and watermelon.Most of us lack the ability to seriously reflect on what has to be done to fix the problems we have. Blaming the president and, to a certain degree, blaming Congress for the Dow dropping over 600 points makes no sense when you consider these things, Essentially, we have become Frito Pendejo from the film Idiocracy.
Go away...'batin'...
4 comments:
Because we're lazy and we worship rich people.
Does that "we" include you, or is it meant as everyone but you (and possibly some other select few)?
I sure seem to recall someone who couldn't blame the President enough in the 2001-8 timeframe.
A lot of people, regardless of political label, do actually expect incredibly stupid things of the President. It is straight out of the myth of the rightful ruler.
What this country really needs is another Calvin Coolidge!
Honestly, Mark, I think you're arguing against strawmen again. I've not heard anybody claiming that Obama hasn't put forth a budget proposal. It's true that many people have complained about Congress utterly failing in it's responsibilities, even when the Dems controlled both houses of Congress and the White House. Of course, it's true that the last budget the President proposed was such a great bloated stinking whale carcass washed onto the beach that even his own party voted to deep six it 97-0.
And your characterization of many people as "worshiping the rich" seems to boil down to, "those you refuse to deomize them with me."
Mark, is your last paragraph a question to us? Or is it a realization of who is in the mirror?
You can do this. Don't stop when you are again this close.
In 2010, Congress failed to adopt a budget resolution because of political cowardice. That's on the Democrats.
And for 2 years, this is as close as you have come to having a problem with that. The Senate didn't produce one for 2011, either. That's on the Republicans?
...because of the true believers running the House presently.
Is this more than just whining? Are you under the impression that the Senate and the House have never before disagreed on budget priorities, and the usual way of dealing with that is for both chambers to pass their own bill, after which point they go to committee for a compromise bill to be worked out?
Were you unaware of this, Mr. History Teacher?
So the House produces its budget and passes it, and the Senate under Reid.... stalls... again. The House budget can't go to committee for compromise with the Senate bill, because there is no Senate bill, even unto this day.
That's on the Republicans.
Is it?
Post a Comment